Detection of nucleic acids by type-specific hybrid capture method

ABSTRACT

Target-specific hybrid capture (TSHC) provides a nucleic acid detection method that is not only rapid and sensitive, but is also highly specific and capable of discriminating highly homologous nucleic acid target sequences. The method produces DNA/RNA hybrids which can be detected by a variety of methods.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to the field of nucleic acid detection methods in general and more particularly relates to the detection of nucleic acids by target-specific hybrid capture method.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The detection of specific nucleic acid sequences present in a biological sample is important for identifying and classifying microorganisms, diagnosing infectious diseases, detecting and characterizing genetic abnormalities, identifying genetic changes associated with cancer, studying genetic susceptibility to disease, and measuring response to various types of treatment. A common technique for detecting and quantitating specific nucleic acid sequences is nucleic acid hybridization.

Various hybridization methods are available for the detection and study of nucleic acids. In a traditional hybridization method, the nucleic acids to be identified are either in a solution or affixed to a solid carrier. The nucleic acids are detected using labeled nucleic acid probes which are capable of hybridizing to the nucleic acids. Recently, new hybridization methods have been developed to increase the sensitivity and specificity of detection. One example is the hybrid capture method described in U.S. application Ser. No. 07/792,585. Although these new hybridization methods offer significant improvements over the traditional methods, they still lack the ability to fully discriminate between highly homologous nucleic acid sequences.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a hybridization method which is not only rapid and sensitive, but is also highly specific and capable of discriminating highly homologous nucleic acid target sequences.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a novel nucleic acid detection method, referred to herein as target-specific hybrid capture (“TSHC”). TSHC is a highly specific and sensitive method which is capable of discriminating and detecting highly homologous nucleic acid target sequences.

In one embodiment, the method relates to detecting a target nucleic acid wherein the targeted nucleic acid, which is single-stranded or partially single-stranded, is hybridized simultaneously, or sequentially, to a capture sequence probe and an unlabeled signal sequence probe. These probes hybridize to non-overlapping regions of the target nucleic acid and not to each other so that double-stranded hybrids are formed. The hybrids are captured onto a solid phase and detected. In a preferred embodiment, a DNA/RNA hybrid is formed between the target nucleic acid and the signal sequence probe. Using this method, detection may be accomplished, for example, by binding a labeled antibody capable of recognizing a DNA/RNA hybrid to the double-stranded hybrid, thereby detecting the hybrid.

In another embodiment, the signal sequence probe used in the detection method is a nucleic acid molecule which comprises a DNA/RNA duplex and a single stranded nucleic acid sequence which is capable of hybridizing to the single-stranded or partially single-stranded target nucleic acid. Detection may be accomplished, for example, by binding a labeled antibody capable of recognizing the DNA/RNA duplex portion of the signal sequence probe, thereby detecting the hybrid formed between the target nucleic acid, the capture sequence probe and the signal sequence probe.

In yet another embodiment, the signal sequence probe used in the detection method is a molecule which does not contain sequences that are capable of hybridizing to the single-stranded or partially single-stranded target nucleic acid. Bridge probes comprising sequences that are capable of hybridizing to the target nucleic acid as well as sequences that are capable of hybridizing to the signal sequence probe are used. In this embodiment, the signal sequence probe comprises a DNA/RNA duplex portion and a single stranded DNA sequence portion containing sequences complementary to sequences within the bridge probe. The bridge probe, which hybridizes to both the target nucleic acid and the signal sequence probe, therefore serves as an intermediate for connecting the signal sequence probe to the target nucleic acid and the capture sequence probe hybridized to the target nucleic acid.

In another embodiment of the TSHC method of the invention, blocker probes comprising oligonucleotides complementary to the capture sequence probes are used in the method to eliminate excess capture sequence probe, thereby reducing the background signal in detection and increasing specificity of the assay.

The present invention also relates to novel probes. These probes are nucleic acid sequences which can finction in various hybridization assays, including, for example, the TSHC assay.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of the target-specific hybrid capture method.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating- one embodiment of the target-specific hybrid capture method.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating possible mechanisms of action of an embodiment that employs fused capture sequence probes in target-specific hybrid capture detection.

FIG. 4 shows the analytical sensitivity and specificity of target-specific hybrid capture detection of HSV-1.

FIG. 5 shows the analytical sensitivity and specificity of target-specific hybrid capture detection of HSV-2.

FIGS. 6A-6D show the various embodiments of the target-specific hybrid capture-plus method.

FIG. 7 shows the deletion probe embodiment of the target-specific hybrid capture method.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a method for detecting the presence of nucleic acids in test samples. More specifically, the invention provides a highly specific and sensitive method which is capable of discriminating and detecting highly homologous nucleic acid sequences. Preferred uses for this invention are well known to the skilled artisan and may be applied to the detection and discrimination of a variety of mutations including, but not limited to insertions, deletions, inversions, repeated sequences, and multiple as well as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Additionally, this invention may also be group specific for the detection of nucleic acid targets that share similar sequence elements.

Any source of nucleic acid, in purified or non-purified form, can be utilized as the test sample. For example, the test sample may be a food or agricultural product, or a human or veterinary clinical specimen. Typically, the test sample is a biological fluid such as urine, blood, plasma, serum, sputum or the like. Alternatively the test sample may be a tissue specimen suspected of carrying a nucleic acid of interest. The target nucleic acid in the test sample may be present initially as a discrete molecule so that the sequence to be detected constitutes the entire nucleic acid, or may only be a component of a larger molecule. It is not necessary that the nucleic acid sequence to be detected be present initially in a pure form. The test sample may contain a complex mixture of nucleic acids, of which the target nucleic acid may correspond to a gene of interest contained in total human genomic DNA or RNA or a portion of the nucleic acid sequence of a pathogenic organism which organism is a minor component of a clinical sample.

The target nucleic acid in a test sample can be DNA or RNA, such as messenger RNA, from any source, including bacteria, yeast, viruses, and the cells or tissues of higher organisms such as plants or animals. Methods for the extraction and/or purification of such nucleic acids are well known in the art. Target nucleic acids may be double-stranded or single-stranded. In the present method, it is preferred that the target nucleic acids are single-stranded or made single-stranded by conventional denaturation techniques prior to the hybridization steps of the method. In a preferred embodiment, base denaturation technique is used to denature the double-stranded target DNA.

The term “oligonucleotide” as the term is used herein refers to a nucleic acid molecule comprised of two or more deoxyribonucleotides or ribonucleotides. A desired oligonucleotide may be prepared by any suitable method, such as purification from a naturally occurring nucleic acid, by molecular biological means, or by de novo synthesis. Examples of oligonucleotides are nucleic acid probes described herein.

Nucleic acid probes are detectable nucleic acid sequences that hybridize to complementary RNA or DNA sequences in a test sample. Detection of the probe indicates the presence of a particular nucleic acid sequence in the test sample. In one embodiment, the target-specific hybrid capture method employs two types of nucleic acid probes: capture sequence probe (CSP) and signal sequence probe (SSP). A capture sequence probe comprises a nucleic acid sequence which is capable of hybridizing to unique region(s) within a target nucleic acid and being captured onto a solid phase. A signal sequence probe comprises a nucleic acid sequence which is capable of hybridizing to regions within a target nucleic acid that are adjacent to the unique regions recognized by the CSP. The sequences of CSP and SSP are selected so that they would not hybridize to the same region of a target nucleic acid or to each other.

In addition, the CSP and the SSP are selected to hybridize to regions of the target within 50,000 bases of each other. The distance between the sequence to which the CSP hybridizes within the target nucleic acid and the sequence to which the SSP hybridizes is preferably between 1 to 50,000 bases, more preferably, the distance is less than 3,000 bases. Most preferably, the distance is less than 1,000 bases.

The CSP used in the detection method can be DNA, RNA, peptide nucleic acids (PNAs), locked nucleic acids (LNAs), or other nucleic acid analogues. A “locked nucleic acid” as defined herein is a novel class of oligonucleotide analogues which form duplexes with complementary DNA and RNA with high thermal stability and selectivity. The usual conformational freedom of the furanose ring in standard nucleosides is restricted in LNAs due to the methylene linker connecting the 2′-O position to the 4′-C position. PNAs are oligonucleotides in which the sugar-phosphate backbone is replaced with a polyamide or “pseudopeptide” backbone. In a preferred embodiment, the CSP is DNA. The CSP has a minimum length of 6 bases, preferably between 15 to 100 bases long, and more preferably between 20 to 40 bases long. The CSP is substantially complementary to the sequence within a target nucleic acid to which it hybridizes. The sequence of a CSP is preferably at least 75% complementary to the target hybridization region, more preferably, 100% complementary to this sequence. It is also preferred that the CSP contains less than or equal to 75% sequence identity, more preferably less than 50% sequence identity, to non-desired sequences believed to be present in a test sample. The sequence within a target nucleic acid to which a CSP binds is preferably 6 bases long, more preferably 20-40 bases long. It may also be preferred that the sequences to which the CSP hybridizes are unique sequences or group-specific sequences. Group-specific sequences are multiple related sequences that form discrete groups.

In one embodiment, the CSP used in the detection method may contain one or more modifications in the nucleic acid which allows specific capture of the probe onto a solid phase. For example, the CSP may be modified by tagging it with at least one ligand by methods well-known to those skilled in the art including, for example, nick-translation, chemical or photochemical incorporation. In addition, the CSP may be tagged at multiple positions with one or multiple types of labels. For example, the CSP may be tagged with biotin, which binds to streptavidin; or digoxigenin, which binds to anti-digoxigenin; or 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP), which binds to anti-DNP. Fluorogens can also be used to modify the probes. Examples of fluorogens include fluorescein and derivatives, phycoerytlrin, allo-phycocyanin, phycocyanin, rhodamine, Texas Red or other proprietary fluorogens. The fluorogens are generally attached by chemical modification and bind to a fluorogen-specific antibody, such as anti-fluorescein. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the CSP can also be tagged by incorporation of a modified base containing any chemical group recognizable by specific antibodies. Other tags and methods of tagging nucleotide sequences for capture onto a solid phase coated with substrate are well known to those skilled in the art. A review of nucleic acid labels can be found in the article by Landegren, et al, “DNA Diagnostics-Molecular Techniques and Automation”, Science, 242:229-237 (1988), which is incorporated herein by reference. In one preferred embodiment, the CSP is tagged with biotin on both the 5′ and the 3′ ends of the nucleotide sequence. In another embodiment, the CSP is not modified but is captured on a solid matrix by virtue of sequences contained in the CSP capable of hybridization to the matrix.

The SSP used in the detection method may be a DNA or RNA. In one particular embodiment of the invention, the SSP and target nucleic acid form a DNA/RNA hybrid. Therefore, in this embodiment, if the target nucleic acid is a DNA, then the preferred SSP is an RNA. Similarly, if the target nucleic acid is RNA, then the preferred SSP is a DNA. The SSP is generally at least 15 bases long. However, the SSP may be up to or greater than 1000 bases long. Longer SSPs are preferred. The SSP may comprise a single nucleic acid fragment, or multiple smaller nucleic acid fragments each of which is preferably between 15 to 100 bases in length.

In another embodiment, the SSP used in the detection method comprises a DNA/RNA duplex and a single stranded nucleic acid sequence capable of hybridizing to the target nucleic acid (FIG. 6A). The SSP may be prepared by first cloning a single stranded DNA sequence complementary to sequences within the target nucleic acid into a single-stranded DNA vector, then hybridizing RNA complementary to the DNA vector sequence to generate aDNA/RNA duplex. For example, if M13 is used as the DNA vector, M13 RNA is hybridized to the M13 DNA sequence in the vector to generate a DNA/RNA duplex. The resulting SSP contains a DNA/RNA duplex portion as well as a single stranded portion capable of hybridizing to sequences within the target nucleic acid. The single stranded DNA should be at least 10 bases long, and may be up to or greater than 1000 bases long. Alternatively, the DNA/RNA duplex portion of the SSP may be formed during or after the reaction in which the single stranded portion of the SSP is hybridized to the target nucleic acid. The SSP can be linear, circular, or a combination of two or more forms. The DNA/RNA duplex portion of the SSP provides amplified signals for the detection of captured hybrids using anti-DNA/RNA antibodies as described herein.

In yet another embodiment, the SSP used in the detection method is a molecule which does not contain sequences that are capable of hybridizing to the target nucleic acid. In this embodiment, bridge probes comprising sequences capable of hybridizing to the target nucleic acid as well as sequences capable of hybridizing to the SSP are used. The bridge probes can be DNA, RNA, peptide nucleic acids (PNAs), locked nucleic acids (LNAs), or other nucleic acid analogues. In one embodiment (FIG. 6B), the SSP comprises a DNA/RNA duplex portion and a single stranded portion containing sequences complementary to sequences within the bridge probe. The bridge probe, which is capable of hybridizing to both the target nucleic acid and the SSP, therefore serves as an intermediate for connecting the SSP to the target nucleic acid and the CSP hybridized to the target nucleic acid. The SSP may be prepared as described above. In another embodiment (FIG. 6C), the SSP used in the detection method comprises multiple sets of repeat sequences as well as a single stranded RNA sequence capable of hybridizing to the bridge probe. A DNA oligonucleotide probe containing sequences complementary to the repeat sequences may be used to hybridize to the SSP to generate the RNA/DNA duplex needed for signal amplification. In yet another embodiment (FIG. 6D), the bridge probe contains a poly(A) tail in addition to sequences which are capable of hybridizing to the target nucleic acid. The SSP used in this example comprises poly(dT) DNA sequences. The bridge probe therefore is capable of hybridizing to the SSP via its poly(A) tail. An RNA probe comprising poly(A) sequences may be used to hybridize to the remaining poly(dT) DNA sequences within SSP to form an RNA/DNA duplex. The SSP comprising poly(dT) sequences and the RNA probe comprising poly(A) sequences are preferably 100 to 5,000 bases long.

The SSP used in the detection method of the invention can be unmodified, or modified as with the CSP using methods described above and/or known in the art. In a preferred embodiment, the SSP is a covalently unmodified probe.

It is understood that multiple CSPs and/or SSPs can be employed in the detection method of the invention.

In another embodiment, an oligonucleotide probe comprising complementary sequences of two or more distinct regions of the target nucleic acid are fused together and used as the capture sequence probe in the method of the invention. Alternatively a single probe can be designed and produced which contains sequences complementary to single or multiple target nucleic acids. This type of probe is also referred to herein as a “fused” CSP. As shown in Example 5, the fuised capture sequence probe works as effectively as the combination of two unfused CSPs when used at the same concentration.

In a further embodiment of this invention, “deletion nucleic acid probes” may be used in TSHC. In order to minimize the number of transcription templates needed to be constructed, deletion nucleic acid probes, for example RNA, are designed such that 1) the length of probe used is maximized; and 2) probes are prevented from overlapping with the region targeted by the CSP. These deletion probes contain internal deletions in the nucleic acid template used to generate the probes. In addition, these deletion probes hybridize to nucleic acid targets creating “bubbles” of unhybridized nucleic acid that is accessible for CSP hybridization. This method also provides a very convenient means for making probes since the nucleic acid for the entire target may be cloned into a transcription vector and then sequences may be removed once they have been identified as useful regions for CSP hybridization. In addition, this method permits the use of nearly fulll length whole genome probes that do not overlap (i.e. do not hybridize to the same region) with the CSPs. Any commercially available mutagenesis kit can be used to design targeted deletions within a transcription template. Typically, the deletions of the nucleic acid template used for SSP synthesis are performed directly with the template cloned in the transcription vector. Deletions in the template are made such that the sequences overlapping the region hybridized by the CSP are removed. The deletions may be as small as the CSP region itself, but generally and more preferably, approximately 100 to 300 nucleotides on the 5′ and 3′ ends of the region hybridized by the CSP are deleted. (See FIG. 7).

The nucleic acid probes of the invention may be produced by any suitable method known in the art, including for example, by chemical synthesis, isolation from a naturally-occurring source, recombinant production and asymmetric PCR (McCabe, 1990 In: PCR Protocols: A guide to methods and applications. San Diego, Calif., Academic Press, 76-83). It may be preferred to chemically synthesize the probes in one or more segments and subsequently link the segments. Several chemical synthesis methods are described by Narang et al. (1979 Meth. Enzynol. 68:90), Brown et al. (1979 Meth. Enzymol. 68:109) and Caruthers et al. (1985 Meth. Enzymol. 154:287), which are incorporated herein by reference. Alternatively, cloning methods may provide a convenient nucleic acid fragment which can be isolated for use as a promoter primer. A double-stranded DNA probe is first rendered single-stranded using, for example, conventional denaturation methods prior to hybridization to the target nucleic acids.

Hybridization is conducted under standard hybridization conditions well known to those skilled in the art. Reaction conditions for hybridization of a probe to a nucleic acid sequence vary from probe to probe, depending on factors such as probe length, the number of G and C nucleotides in the sequence, and the composition of the buffer utilized in the hybridization reaction. Moderately stringent hybridization conditions are generally understood by those skilled in the art as conditions approximately 25° C. below the melting temperature of a perfectly base-paired double stranded DNA. Higher specificity is generally achieved by employing incubation conditions having higher temperatures, in other words more stringent conditions. Chapter 11 of the well-known laboratory manual of Sambrook et al., MOLECULAR CLONING: A LABORATORY MANUAL, second edition, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, New York (1990) (which is incorporated by reference herein), describes hybridization conditions for oligonucleotide probes in great detail, including a description of the factors involved and the level of stringency necessary to guarantee hybridization with specificity. Hybridization is typically performed in a buffered aqueous solution, for which conditions such as temperature, salt concentration, and pH are selected to provide sufficient stringency such that the probes hybridize specifically to their respective target nucleic acid sequences but not any other sequence.

Generally, the efficiency of hybridization between probe and target improve under conditions where the amount of probe added is in molar excess to the template, preferably a 2 to 10⁶ molar excess, more preferably 10³ to 10⁶ molar excess. The concentration of each CSP provided for efficient capture is at least 25 fmoles/ml (25 pM) in the final hybridization solution, preferably between 25 fmoles to 10⁴ fmoles/ml (10 nM). The concentration of each SSP is at least 15 ng/ml in the final hybridization solution, preferably 150 ng/ml. Table A shows the conversion of SSP concentrations expressed in ng/ml to molar basis.

TABLE A CONVERSION OF SSP CONCENTRATION FROM ng/ml TO fmoles/ml SSP Concentration SSP Concentration in fmoles/ml (pM) in ng/ml SSP is a 3 kb RNA SSP is a 5 kb RNA  15 ng/ml 15.1 9 150 ng/ml 151 90 600 ng/ml 606 364

Hybridization of the CSP and the SSP to the target nucleic acid may be performed simultaneously or sequentially and in either order. In one embodiment, hybridization of the CSP and hybridization of the SSP to the target nucleic acid are performed simultaneously. The hybrid formed is then captured onto a solid phase coated with a substrate to which ligand attached to the CSP binds with specificity. In another embodiment, hybridization of the SSP to the target nucleic acid is performed after the hybridization of the CSP to the target nucleic acid. In this case, the CSP may be immobilized on a solid phase before or after hybridization. In this embodiment, both the CSP and the target may be bound to the solid phase during the SSP hybridization reaction. Most preferably, the CSP and SSP are hybridized to the target nucleic acid, forming a hybridized complex, wherein said complex is then captured onto a solid phase coated with a substrate to which ligand attached to the CSP binds with specificity.

In order to identify and detect specific polynucleotide sequences with added specificity and sensitivity, assays can be designed such that conditions are optimal for increasing signal detection and reducing background interference. Preferred methods for achieving added stringency include the TSHC heated capture step and/or through the use of blocker probes. Since capture efficiency of the hybridized complex comprising CSP, SSP, and target nucleic acid is influenced by several assay conditions, a heated capture may be usefuil for reducing false reactivity and detecting mutations of at least one nucleotide. Preferably, the heated capture method is employed for the detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms. Briefly, the heated capture method for capturing or binding the hybridized complex to a solid phase utilizes an elevated range of temperatures. In order to immobilize CSP hybridized targets following hybridization, the hybridization solution is placed into wells of a 96-well plate, for example, and the plate is shaken for 15 minutes to 2 hours at temperatures ranging from 20° C. to 90° C. shaking at 1100 rpms. Optionally, hybridization at room temperature for 1 hour shaking at 1100 rpms may be preferred. Capture temperatures above room temperature may be preferred for an added level of stringency as hybridization (and “promiscuous hybridization”) does occur during the plate capture step. Another means for attaining a higher degree of specificity and sensitivity is through the use of blocker probes.

One embodiment of this invention provides a heated capture method using elevated temperatures for capturing a hybridized SSP and target nucleic acid complex to a CSP immobilized to a solid phase, either simultaneously or sequentially, where the elevated temperature prevents non-specific hybridization of the CSP from occurring during the plate capture step. The elevated temperature also affects SSP hybridization specificity. The CSP used in TSHC may be a nucleic acid or modified nucleic acid, preferably DNA, which contains a modification that permits capture onto a solid phase. One example of such a modification is a biotin label and more preferably multiple biotin labels. The CSP contains a minimum of 6 base pairs, preferably 16 to 50 bases with a preferred melting temperature (Tm) above 65° C. Preferred CSPs may comprise sequences complementary to unique sequences within the target molecule of nucleic acids present in the sample, although this is not necessary for targeting multiple nucleic acid species. For example, if a gene family is the target, the CSP may preferably comprise a sequence element common to one or more members of the gene family. For most applications, the CSP preferably contains at most 75% sequence identity and more preferably less than 50%, to non-desired targets suspected of being present in the sample. The assay can utilize CSPs that differ in only a single nucleotide and selectively detect targets that differ in only a single nucleotide. This degree of discrimination can be facilitated by using the heated plate capture step. When CSP hybridization is performed in solution, the samples are subsequently reacted with a solid phase for capture. For example, if a biotin-labeled CSP is used, avidin or some other biotin binding protein may be used to coat the solid phase for capture. Another embodiment of this invention encompasses the simultaneous hybridization and capture, wherein hybridization is performed directly on the capture solid phase, for example on a capture plate.

In yet another embodiment of this invention, the TSHC method can be used to distinguish and detect nucleic acid targets with SNPs. This Hybrid Capture-Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (HC-SNP) detection method can detect SNPs with high sensitivity and specificity. An example illustrating the extended capability of TSHC for distinguishing and detecting nucleic acid targets with SNPs is described herein, where in labeled capture oligonucleotides (CSP) are used, in addition to signal sequence probes (SSP), and a target nucleic acid molecule. The CSPs may hybridize and capture nucleic acid targets to a solid phase or surface (for example, a 96-well plate). Labeling methods are well known in the art and may also be employed to facilitate target nucleic acid immobilization.

In one example, a target nucleic acid capture is achieved through the high affinity interaction between a biotin on the CSP and a streptavidin on the solid surface. Simultaneously, an RNA signal sequence probe (SSP) complementary to a DNA target and not overlapping with the capture region is hybridized to the DNA target. The RNA/DNA hybrids are recognized by antibody directed against RNA/DNA hybrids labeled with alkaline phosphatase. In this example, a chemiluminescent phosphorylated substrate is then added and subsequently, the activated substrate may be detected and measured by a luminometer. The signal to noise ratios are determined using a known negative control. Further, the concentration of the target can be determined by using known concentrations of target molecules as calibrators. The specificity of binding and capturing the hybrid to a solid phase is modulated, regulated, or adjusted by temperatures of greater than room temperature, by the addition of blocker probes, or by temperatures of greater than room temperature and the addition of blocker probes. For additional stringency, blocker probes may be used either with or without the heated capture method. Alternatively, the capture step may be performed at room temperature and may optionally utilize blocker probes.

Another embodiment of this invention further provides a blocker oligonucleotide method where in many cases, obviates the need for a heated capture step. This may be achieved by hybridizing blocker oligonucleotides to capture oligonucleotides at room temperature, thereby preventing further hybridization of the CSP to undesired targets during the capture step. Capture probes may preferably require the presence of blocker probes, which are complementary to the capture probe. The length of the blocker probes can vary from blockers complementary to the full length CSP to very short blockers complementary to only a small portion of the CSP. For example, blocker probes can be 4-10 base pairs shorter than the length of the CSP. The presence of the blocker probes reduces background and enables a higher degree of sensitivity. The heated capture step and blocker probes may be used either separately or together, wherein the specificity of binding and capturing the hybrid to a solid phase is modulated, regulated, or adjusted by temperatures of greater than room temperature and the addition of blocker probes.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that a solid phase or matrix includes, for example, polystyrene, polyethylene, polypropylene, polycarbonate or any solid plastic material in the shape of plates, slides, dishes, beads, particles, microparticles, cups, strands, chips and strips. A solid phase also includes glass beads, glass test tubes and any other appropriate glass product. A flnctionalized solid phase such as plastic or glass that has been modified so that the surface contains carboxyl, amino, hydrazide, aldehyde groups, nucleic acid or nucleotide derivatives can also be used. Any solid phase such as plastic or glass microparticles, beads, strips, test tubes, slides, strands, chips or microtiter plates can be used.

In one preferred embodiment, the CSP is labeled with biotin, and streptavidin-coated or avidin-coated solid phase is employed to capture the hybrid. More preferably, streptavidin-coated microtiter plates are used. These plates may be coated passively or covalently.

The captured hybrid may be detected by conventional means well-known in the art, such as with a labeled polyclonal or monoclonal antibody specific for the hybrid, an antibody specific for one or more ligands attached to the SSP, a labeled antibody, or a detectable modification on the SSP itself.

One preferred method of detection detects the captured hybrid by using an antibody capable of binding to the RNA/DNA hybrid (referred to herein as the “RNA/DNA antibody”. In this embodiment, the anti-RNA/DNA antibody is preferably labeled with an enzyme, a fluorescent molecule or a biotin-avidin conjugate and is non-radioactive. The label can be detected directly or indirectly by conventional means known in the art such as a calorimeter, a luminometer, or a fluorescence detector. One preferred label is, for example, alkaline phosphatase. Other labels known to one skilled in the art can also be employed as a means of detecting the bound double-stranded hybrid.

Detection of captured hybrid is preferably achieved by binding the conjugated antibody to the hybrid during an incubation step. Surfaces are then washed to remove any excess conjugate. These techniques are known in the art. For example, manual washes may be performed using either an Eppendorf™ Repeat Pipettor with a 50 ml Combitip™ (Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany), a Corming repeat syringe (Corning, Corning, N.Y.), a simple pump regulated by a variostat, or by gravity flow from a reservoir with attached tubing. Commercially available tube washing systems available from Source Scientific Systems (Garden Grove, Calif.) can also be used.

Bound conjugate is subsequently detected by a method conventionally used in the art, for example, colorimetry or chemiluminescence as described at Coutlee, et al., J. Clin. Microbiol. 27:1002-1007 (1989). Preferably, bound alkaline phosphatase conjugate is detected by chemiluminescence by adding a substrate which can be activated by alkaline phosphatase. Chemiluminescent substrates that are activated by alkaline phosphatase are well known in the art.

In another embodiment, the target specific hybrid capture method of the invention employs blocker probes in addition to the CSP and SSP. A blocker probe comprises sequences that are complementary to the sequences of the CSP. The sequence of a blocker probe is preferably at least 75% complementary to the sequence of the CSP, more preferably, 100% complementary to the CSP. The addition of the blocker probes to the hybridization reaction mixture prevents non-hybridized CSP from hybridizing to cross-reactive nucleic acid sequences present in the target and therefore increases the specificity of the detection.

The blocker probe is generally at least 5 bases long, preferably 12 bases long. The concentration of the blocker probe in the hybridization reaction is preferably in excess to that of the CSP and SSP. Preferably, the blocker probe is present in a 2-fold molar excess, although, it may be present in an up to 10,000-fold molar excess. The blocker probes can be DNA, RNA, peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) or other nucleic acid analogues.

In one embodiment, blocker probes complementary to the full-length or near full-length of the CSP are used. Following the reaction in which the hybrid between CSP, SSP and the target nucleic acid is formed, one or more blocker probes may be added to the reaction and the hybridization is continued for a desired time. The hybridization products are then detected as described above.

In another embodiment, blocker probes complementary to only a portion of the CSP and shorter than the CSP are used. These blocker probes have a lower melting temperature than that of the CSP. Preferably, the melting temperature of the blocker probe is 10 degrees lower than that of the CSP. In this case, the blocker probe is preferably added to the target nucleic acids simultaneously with the CSP and the SSP. Since the blocker probe has a lower melting temperature than the CSP, the initial temperature for hybridization is chosen such that the blocker probe does not interfere with the hybridization of the CSP to its target sequences. However, when the temperature of the hybridization mixtures is adjusted below the temperature used for target hybridization, the blocker probe hybridizes to the CSP and effectively blocks the CSP from hybridizing to cross-reactive nucleic acid sequences. For example, when the hybridization products are incubated at room temperature on a streptavidin-coated microtiter plate during hybrid capture, the blocker probes may be added.

The following examples illustrate use of the present amplification method and detection assay and kit. These examples are offered by way of illustration, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any manner. All references described herein are expressly incorporated in toto by reference.

EXAMPLE 1 Target-Specific Hybrid Capture (TSHC) Assay Protocol

Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV-1) and Herpes Simplex Virus 2 (HSV-2) viral particles of known concentration (Advanced Biotechnologies, Inc., Columbia, Md.) or clinical samples were diluted using either Negative Control Media (Digene Corp., Gaithersburg, Md.) or Negative Cervical Specimens (Digene). Various dilutions were made and aliquoted into individual microfuge tubes. A half volume of the Denaturation Reagent 5100-0431 (Digene) was added. Test samples were incubated at 65° C. for 45 minutes for denaturation of nucleic acids in the samples.

Following denaturation, a hybridization solution containing signal sequence probes (SSPs) (600 ng/ml each) and capture sequence probes (CSPs) (2.5 pmoles/ml each) was added to the sample, and incubated at 74° C. for 1 hour. Blocker probes in a solution containing one volume of 4=Probe Diluent (Digene), one volume of Denaturation Reagent, and two volumes of the Negative Control Media were then added to the hybridization mixture and incubated at 74° C. for 15 minutes.

In a second series of experiments, following denaturation of nucleic acids, a hybridization mixture containing SSPs (600 ng/ml each), CSPs (2.5 pmoles/ml each), and blocker probes (250 pmoles/ml each) was added to the samples and incubated for one hour at 74° C.

Tubes containing reaction mixtures were cooled at room temperature for 5 minutes, and aliquots were taken from each tube and transferred to individual wells of a 96-well streptavidin capture plate (Digene). The plates were shaken at 1100 rpms for 1 hour at room temperature. The supernatants were then decanted and the plates were washed twice with Hybrid Capture 2 wash buffer (Digene) and inverted briefly to remove residual wash buffer. The alkaline-phosphatase anti-RNA/DNA antibody detection reagent-1 (DR-1; Digene) was then added to each well and incubated for 30 minutes at room temperature (about 20° C. to 25° C.). The wells were then subjected to multiple wash steps which include: 1) three washes with Sharp wash buffer (Digene) at room temperature; 2) incubation of the plate with the Sharp wash buffer for 10 minutes at 60° C. on a heat block; 3) two washes with the Sharp wash buffer at room temperature; and 4) one wash with the SNM wash buffer (Digene) at room temperature. Following removal of the residual liquid, luminescent substrate 5100-0350 (Digene) was added to each well and incubated for 15 minutes at room temperature. The individual wells were then read on a plate luminometer to obtain the relative light unit (RLU) signal.

Solutions containing Negative Control Media or known HSV Negative Cervical Specimens were used as negative controls for the test samples. The signal to noise ratio (S/N) was calculated as the ratio of the average RLU obtained from a test sample to the average RLU of the negative control. The signal to noise ratio was used as the basis for determining capture efficiency and the detection of target nucleic acids. A S/N value of 2 or greater was arbitrarily assigned as a positive signal while a S/N value less than 2 was considered negative. The coefficient of variation (CV) which is a determination of the variability of the experiment within one sample set was calculated by taking the standard deviation of the replicates, dividing them by the average and multiplying that value by 100 to give a percent value.

The capture sequence probes and the blocker probes used in experiments described in Examples 2-13 were synthesized using the method described by Cook et al. (1988 Nucl. Acid. Res., 16: 4077-95). Unless otherwise noted, the capture sequence probes used in the experiments described herein were labeled with biotins at their 5′ and 3′ ends.

The signal sequence probes used in experiments described in Examples 2-13 are RNA probes, but this invention is not limited to SSPs comprising RNA. These probes were prepared using the method described by Yisraeli et al. (1989, Methods in Enzymol., 180: 42-50).

EXAMPLE 2

The following tables describe the various probes used in experiments described in Examples 3-13.

TABLE 1 HSV-1 CLONES FROM WHICH HSV-1 PROBES ARE DERIVED Sequence Clone Cloning Insert Location Name Host Vector Site(s) Size (bp) within HSV-1 RH3 Dgx3 Hind III, Eco 5720 39850-45570 RI R10 Blue Script SK+ Eco RI 4072 64134-68206 RH5B Blue Script SK+ Eco RV, Eco 4987 105108-110095 RI H19 Blue Script SK+ Hind III 4890 133467-138349

TABLE 2 HSV-2 CLONES FROM WHICH HSV-2 PROBES ARE DERIVED Sequence Clone Insert Location Name Host Vector Cloning Site(s) Size (bp) in HSV-2 E4A Blue Script SK+ Bam HI 3683 23230-26914 E4B Blue Script SK+ Bam HI Eco RI 5600 26914-32267 I8 Blue Script SK+ Hind III 2844 41624-44474 EI8 Dgx3 Hind III, Eco RI 3715 44474-48189 4L Blue Script KS+ Bam HI, Eco RI 4313 86199-90512

TABLE 3 CAPTURE SEQUENCE PROBES FOR HSV-1 Location Size within Probe Sequence (bp) HSV-1 TS-1 (TTATTATTA)CGTTCATGTCG- 24 105040- GCAAACAGCTCGT- 105063 (TTATTATTA) [SEQ ID NO: 1] TS-2 (TTATTATTA)CGTCCTGGATG- 21 110316- GCGATACGGC(TTATTATTA) 110336 [SEQ ID NO: 2] VH-3 CGTCCTGGATGGCGATACGGC 21 110316- [SEQ ID NO: 3] 110336 NC-1 CGTTCATGTCGGCAAACAGCTCGT 24 105040- [SEQ ID NO: 4] 105063 VH-4 CGTTCATGTCGGCAAACAGCTC- 45 105040- (fusion of GTCGTCCTGGATGGCGATAC- 105063; VH3, NC-1) GGC [SEQ ID NO: 5] 110316- 110336 HZ-1 GATGGGGTTATTTTTCCTAAGA- 34 133061- TGGGGCGGGTCC 133094 [SEQ ID NO: 6] VH-2 TACCCCGATCATCAGTTATCCT- 28 138367- TAAGGT 138394 [SEQ ID NO: 7] FD-1 AAACCGTTCCATGACCGGA 19  39281- [SEQ ID NO: 8]  39299 RA-2 ATCGCGTGTTCCAGAGACAGGC 22  39156- [SEQ ID NO: 9]  39177 NC-2 CAACGCCCAAAATAATA 17  46337- [SEQ ID NO: 10]  46353 FD-2 GTCCCCGAaCCGATCTAGCG 20  45483- (note small cap a is  45502 mutated base) [SEQ ID NO: 11] RA-4 CGAACCATAAACCATTCCCCAT 22  46361- [SEQ ID NO: 12]  46382 ON-3 CACGCCCGTGGTTCTGGAATTCGAC 25  64105- [SEQ ID NO: 13]  64129 HZ-2 (TTTATTA)GATGGGGTTATTT- 34 133061- TTCCTAAGATGGGGCGGGTCC 133094 [SEQ ID NO: 14] ZD-1 GGTTATTTTTCCTAAG 16 133064- [SEQ ID NO: 15] 133079 ZD-2 (ATTATT)GGTTATTTTTCCT- 16 133064- AAG(ATTATT) 133079 [SEQ ID NO: 16] F6R ACGACGCCCTTGACTCCGATTC- 40  87111- GTCATCGGATGACTCCCT  87150 [SEQ ID NO: 17] BRH19 ATGCGCCAGTGTATCAATCAGC- 32 133223- TGTTTCGGGT 133254 [SEQ ID NO: 18] F15R CAAAACGTCCTGGAGACGGGTG- 38 141311- AGTGTCGGCGAGGACG 141348 [SEQ ID NO: 19] VH-1 GTCCCCGACCCGATCTAGCG 20  45483- [SEQ ID NO: 20]  45502 ON-4 GCAGACTGCGCCAGGAACGAGTA 23  68404- [SEQ ID NO: 21]  68426 PZ-1 GTGCCCACGCCCGTGGTTCTGG- 35  64105- AATTCGACAGCGA  64139 [SEQ ID NO: 22] PZ-2 GCAGACTGCGCCAGGAACGAGT- 35  68404- AGTTGGAGTACTG  68438 [SEQ ID NO: 23] FG-2 AAGAGGTCCATTGGGTGGGGTT- 36 105069- GATACGGGAAAGAC 105104 [SEQ ID NO: 24] FG-3 CGTAATGCGGCGGTGCAGACTC- 27 110620- CCCTG 110646 [SEQ ID NO: 25] FG-4 CCAACTACCCCGATCATCAGTT- 39 138362- ATCCTTAAGGTCTCTTG 138400 [SEQ ID NO: 26] Hsv1-LF15R (AAAAAAAAA)CAAAACGTCCT- 38 141311- (SH-3) GGAGACGGGTGAGTGTCGGCGA- 141348 GGACG [SEQ ID NO: 27] Hsv1-F15-2B CAAAACGTCCTGGAGACGGGTG- 38 141311- (GZ-1) AGTGTCGGCGAGGACG 141348 [SEQ ID NO: 28] Hsv1-F15-3B CAAAACGTCC-bio-U-GGAGA- 38 141311- (GZ-2) CGGGTGAGTG-bio-U-CGGCG- 141348 AGGACG [SEQ ID NO: 29] *Sequences in parentheses are “tail” sequences not directed at HSV.

TABLE 4 BLOCKER PROBES FOR HSV-1 Size Capture Probe to Probe Sequence (bp) which it hybridizes EA-1 AGGAAAAATAACCCCATC 18 HZ-1 [SEQ ID NO: 30] EA-2 GACCCGCCCCATCTT 15 HZ-1 [SEQ ID NO: 31] ZD-3 GGACCCGCCCCATCTTAG 34 HZ-1 GAAAAATAACCCCATC [SEQ ID NO: 32] NG-7 AAAAATAACCCCA 13 HZ-1 [SEQ ID NO: 33] NG-8 CGCCCCATCTT 11 HZ-1 [SEQ ID NO: 34] NG-4 CCATCTTAGGAAAAA 15 HZ-1 [SEQ ID NO: 35] GP-1 ATAACTGATGATCGG 15 VH-Z [SEQ ID NO: 36] EA-3 CCACCCAATGGACCTG 16 FG-2 [SEQ ID NO: 37] EA-4 GTCTTTCCCGTATCAACC 18 FG-2 [SEQ ID NO: 38] EB-7 CGCCGCATTACG 12 FG-3 [SEQ ID NO: 39] EB-8 AGGGGAGTTGC 12 FG-3 [SEQ ID NO: 40] GP-3 CTGTTTGCCGACA 13 VH-4 [SEQ ID NO: 41] GP-4 TATCGCCATCCAG 13 VH-4 [SEQ ID NO: 42] EB-9 ATGATCGGGGTAGT 14 FG-4 [SEQ ID NO: 43] EB-10 AGAGACCTTAAGGATA 16 FG-4 [SEQ ID NO: 44] NG-1 ATTCCAGAACCACGG 15 ON-3 [SEQ ID NO: 45] NG-2 TTCCAGAACCACG 13 ON-3 [SEQ ID NO: 46] NG-3 TCCAGAACCAC 11 ON-4 [SEQ ID NO: 47] GP-5 GTTCCTGGCGCAG 13 ON-4 [SEQ ID NO: 48] GP-6 TTCCTGGCGCAG 12 ON-4 [SEQ ID NO: 49]

TABLE 5 CAPTURE SEQUENCE PROBES FOR HSV-2 Size Location Probe Sequence (bp) within HSV-2 NF-1 GCCCGCGCCGCCAGCACTACTTTC 24 41610-41587 [SEQ ID NO: 50] FG-1 AAACGTTGGGAGGTGTGTGCGTCATC 35 48200-48234 CTGGAGCTA [SEQ ID NO: 51] LE-3 GACCAAAACCGAGTGAGGTTCTGTGT 26 48732-48757 [SEQ ID NO: 52] NF-2 AAACGTTGGGAGGTGTGTGCGTCA 24 48200-48223 [SEQ ID NO: 53] RA-3 TGCTCGTCACGAAGTCACTCATG 23 22756-22734 [SEQ ID NO: 54] ON-2 CATTACTGCCCGCACCGGACC 21 23862-23842 [SEQ ID NO: 55] LE-1 GCCGTGGTGTTCCTGAACACCAGG 24 27666-27643 [SEQ ID NO: 56] LE-4 AGTCAGGGTTGCCCGACTTCGTCAC 25 22891-22867 [SEQ ID NO: 57] NF-3 CAGGCGTCCTCGGTCTCGGGCGGGGC 26 32847-32822 [SEQ ID NO: 58] NF-4 CCCACGTCACCGGGGGCCCC 20 26743-26724 [SEQ ID NO: 59] LE-2 GCCGGTCGCGTGCGACGCCCAAGGC 25 33130-33106 [SEQ ID NO: 60] SG-3 CCGACGCGTGGGTATCTAGGGGGTCG 26 90559-90534 [SEQ ID NO: 61] SG-4 CGGGACGGCGAGCGGAAAGTCAACGT 26 86194-86169 [SEQ ID NO: 62]

TABLE 6 BLOCKER PROBES FOR HSV-2 Probe Size Capture Probe to Name Sequence (bp) which it hybridizes HX-4 GGCGCGGGC  9 NF-1 [SEQ ID NO: 63] HX-5 GAAAGTAGTGCTGGC 15 NF-1 [SEQ ID NO: 64] GP-7 TGCTGGCGGCG 11 NF-1 [SEQ ID NO: 65] AZ-3 ACACCTCCCAACG 13 FG-1 [SEQ ID NO: 66] AZ-4 CTCCAGGATGACG 13 FG-1 [SEQ ID NO: 67] GR-1 TCGGTTTTGGTC 12 LE-3 [SEQ ID NO: 68] GR-2 ACACAGAACCTCA 13 LE-3 [SEQ ID NO: 69] GP-8 CACACACCTCCCA 13 NF-2 [SEQ ID NO: 70] BR-10 CGACCCCCTAGATA 14 SG-3 [SEQ ID NO: 71] BR-11 CCACGCGTCGG 11 SG-3 [SEQ ID NO: 72] HX-6 ACGTTGACTTTCCGC 15 SG-4 [SEQ ID NO: 73] BR-15 CGCCGTCCCG 10 SG-4 [SEQ ID NO: 74]

TABLE 7 CAPTURE SEQUENCE PROBES FOR HPV Size HPV Type and Probe Sequence (bp) Sequence Locati n ZL-1 GTACAGATGGTACCGG- 33 HPV16 GGTTGTAGAAGTATCTG 5360-5392 [SEQ ID NO: 75] ZL-4 CTGCAACAAGACATAC- 31 HPV16 ATCGACCGGTCCACC 495-525 [SEQ ID NO: 76] DP-1 GAAGTAGGTGAGGCTG- 31 HPV16 CATGTGAAGTGGTAG 5285-5315 [SEQ ID NO: 77] DP-4 CAGCTCTGTGCATAAC- 33 HPV16 TGTGGTAACTTTCTGGG 128-160 [SEQ ID NO: 78] SH-1 GAGGTCTTCTCCAACA- 33 HPV31 TGCTATGCAACGTCCTG 505-537 [SEQ ID NO: 79] SH-4 GTGTAGGTGCATGCTC- 33 HPV31 TATAGGTACATCAGGCC 5387-5419 [SEQ ID NO: 80] VS-1 CAATGCCGAGCTTAGT- 33 HPV31 TCATGCAATTTCCGAGG 132-164 [SEQ ID NO: 81] VS-4 GAAGTAGTAGTTGCAG- 33 HPV31 ACGCCCCTAAAGGTTGC 5175-5207 [SEQ ID NO: 82] AH-1 GAACGCGATGGTACAG- 30 HPV18 GCACTGCAGGGTCC 5308-5337 [SEQ ID NO: 83] AH-2 GAACGCGATGGTACAG- 24 HPV18 GCACTGCA 5314-5337 [SEQ ID NO: 84] AL-1 ACGCCCACCCAATGGA- 24 HPV18 ATGTACCC 4451-4474 [SEQ ID NO: 85] PA-4 TCTGCGTCGTTGGAGT- 32 HPV18 CGTTCCTGTCGTGCTC 535-566 [SEQ ID NO: 86] 18-1AB (TTATTATTA)CTACA- 36 HPV18 TACATTGCCGCCATGT- 1369-1395 TCGCCA [SEQ ID NO: 87) 18-2AB (TTATTATTA)TGTTG- 46 HPV18 CCCTCTGTGCCCCCGT- 1406-1442 TGTCTATAGCCTCCGT [SEQ ID NO: 88] 18-3AB (TTATTATTA)GGAGC- 38 HPV18 AGTGCCCAAAAGATTA- 7524-7552 AAGTTTGC [SEQ ID NO: 89] 18-4AB (TTATTATTA)CACGGT- 37 HPV18 GCTGGAATACGGTGAGG- 3485-3512 GGGTG [SEQ ID NO: 90] 18-5AB (TTATTATTA)ACGCCC- 33 HPV18 ACCCAATGGAATGTACCC 4451-4474 [SEQ ID NO: 91] 18-6AB (TTATTATTA)ATAGTA- 35 HPV18 TTGTGGTGTGTTTCTCA-  81-106 CAT [SEQ ID NO: 92] 18-7AB (TTATTATTA)GTTGGA- 30 HPV18 GTCGTTCCTGTCGTG 538-558 [SEQ ID NO: 93] 18-8AB (TTATTATTA)CGGAAT- 31 HPV18 TTCATTTTGGGGCTCT 634-655 [SEQ ID NO: 94] PE-1 GCTCGAAGGTCGTCTGC- 33 HPV18 TGAGCTTTCTACTACT 811-843 [SEQ ID NO: 95) PZ-2 GCGCCATCCTGTAATGC- 32 HPV45 ACTTTTCCACAAAGC  77-108 [SEQ ID NO: 96] PZ-5 TAGTGCTAGGTGTAGTG- 31 HPV45 GACGCAGGAGGTGG 5295-5325 [SEQ ID NO: 97] CS-1 GGTCACAACATGTATTA- 32 HPV45 CACTGCCCTCGGTAC 500-531 [SEQ ID NO: 98] CS-4 CCTACGTCTGCGAAGTC- 31 HPV45 TTTCTTGCCGTGCC 533-563 [SEQ ID NO: 99] PF-1 CTGCATTGTCACTACTA- 34 HPV45 TCCCCACCACTACTTTG 1406-1439 [SEQ ID NO: 100] PF-4 CCACAAGGCACATTCAT- 32 HPV45 ACATACACGCACGCA 7243-7274 [SEQ ID NO: 101] PA-1 GTTTCTAAGGTCCTCTG- 33 HPV45 CCGAGCTCTCTACTGTA 811-843 [SEQ ID NO: 102] 45-5AB (TTATTATTA)TGCGGT- 36 HPV45 TTTGGGGGTCGACGTGG- 3444-3470 AGGC [SEQ ID NO: 103] 45-6AB (TTATTATTA)AGACCT- 36 HPV45 GCCCCCTAAGGGTACAT- 4443-4469 AGCG [SEQ ID NO: 104] 45-8AB (TTATTATTA)CAGCAT- 49 HPV45 TGCAGCCTTTTTGTTAC- 1477-1516 TTGCTTGTAATAGCTCC [SEQ ID NO: 105] 45-9AB (TTATTATTA)ATCCTG- 34 HPV45 TAATGCACTTTTCCACA-  79-103 AA [SEQ ID NO: 106] 45-10AB (TTATTATTA)GCCTGG- 31 HPV45 TCACAACATGTATTAC 514-535 [SEQ ID NO: 107] 45-11AB (TTATTATTA)CAGGAT- 33 HPV45 CTAATTCATTGTGAGGTT 633-656 [SEQ ID NO: 108] ON-1 TGCGGTTTTGGGGGTCG- 27 HPV45 ACGTGGAGGC 3444-3470 [SEQ ID NO: 109] *Sequences in parentheses are “tail” sequences not directed at HSV.

TABLE 8 BLOCKER PROBES FOR HPV Capture Size Probe to which Probe Sequence (bp) it hybridizes PV-FD-1 GCCTCCACGTCGAC 14 ON-1/45-5AB [SEQ ID NO: 110] PV-FD-2 CCCCAAAACCG 11 ON-1/45-5AB [SEQ ID NO: 111] PV-FD-3 GGTACATTCCATTGGG 16 18-5AB/AL-1 [SEQ ID NO: 112] PV-FD-4 TGGGCGTTAATAATAA 16 18-5AB [SEQ ID NO: 113] AH-3 ACCATCGCGTTC 12 AH-2 [SEQ ID NO: 114] AH-4 GGACCCTGCAGTGC 14 AH-1 [SEQ ID NO: 115] AH-5 CTGTACCATCGCGTT 3′ 15 AH-1 [SEQ ID NO: 116] AH-6 TGCAGTGCCTGT 12 AH-2 [SEQ ID NO: 117] PZ-1 CCACCTCCTGCGT 13 PZ-5 [SEQ ID NO: 118] PZ-3 ATTACAGGATGGCGC 15 PZ-2 [SEQ ID NO: 119] PZ-4 GCTTTGTGGAAAAGTG 16 PZ-2 [SEQ ID NO: 120] PZ-6 CCACTACACCTAGCACTA 18 PZ-5 [SEQ ID NO: 121] ZL-2 CAGATACTTCTACAACC 17 ZL-1 [SEQ ID NO: 122] ZL-3 CCGGTACCATCTGTAC 16 ZL-1 [SEQ ID NO: 123] ZL-5 GGTGGACCGGTCG 13 ZL-4 [SEQ ID NO: 124] ZL-6 ATGTATGTCTTGTTGCAG 18 ZL-4 [SEQ ID NO: 125] DP-2 CTACCACTTCACATGC 16 DP-1 [SEQ ID NO: 126] DP-3 AGCCTCACCTACTTC 15 DP-1 [SEQ ID NO: 127] DP-5 CCCAGAAAGTTACCAC 16 DP-4 [SEQ ID NO: 128] DP-6 AGTTATGCACAGAGCT 16 DP-4 [SEQ ID NO: 129] SH-2 CAGGACGTTGCATAGC 16 SH-1 [SEQ ID NO: 130] SH-3 ATGTTGGAGAAGACCTC 17 SH-1 [SEQ ID NO: 131] SH-5 GGCCTGATGTACCTATA 17 SH-4 [SEQ ID NO: 132] SH-6 GAGCATGCACCTACAC 16 SH-4 [SEQ ID NO: 133] VS-2 CTCGGAAATTGCATG 15 VS-1 [SEQ ID NO: 134] VS-3 AACTAAGCTCGGCATT 16 VS-1 [SEQ ID NO: 135] VS-5 GCAACCTTTAGGGG 14 VS-4 [SEQ ID NO: 136] VS-6 CGTCTGCAACTACTACTTC 19 VS-4 [SEQ ID NO: 137] CS-2 GTACCGAGGGCAGT 14 CS-1 [SEQ ID NO: 138] CS-3 GTAATACATGTTGTGACC 18 CS-1 [SEQ ID NO: 139] CS-5 GGCACGGCAAGAAA 14 CS-4 [SEQ ID NO: 140] CS-6 GACTTCGCAGACGTAGG 17 CS-4 [SEQ ID NO: 141] PF-2 CAAAGTAGTGGTGGG 15 PF-1 [SEQ ID NO: 142] PF-3 GATAGTAGTGACAATGCAG 19 PF-1 [SEQ ID NO: 143] PF-5 TGCGTGCGTGTATGTA 16 PF-4 [SEQ ID NO: 144] PF-6 TGAATGTGCCTTGTGG 16 PF-4 [SEQ ID NO: 145] PE-2 AGTAGTAGAAAGCTCAGC 18 PE-1 [SEQ ID NO: 146] PE-3 AGACGACCTTCGAGC 15 PE-1 [SEQ ID NO: 147] PA-2 TACAGTAGAGAGCTCGG 17 PA-1 [SEQ ID NO: 148] PA-3 CAGAGGACCTTAGAAC 16 PA-1 [SEQ ID NO: 149] PA-5 GAGCACGACAGGAACG 16 PA-4 [SEQ ID NO: 150] PA-6 ACTCCAACGACGCAGA 16 PA-4 [SEQ ID NO: 151]

EXAMPLE 3 EFFECT OF THE EXTENT OF BIOTIN LABELING ON CAPTURE EFFICIENCY

Tests were conducted to determine the optimal number of biotin labels per capture sequence probe for TSHC detection. The general TSHC method described in Example 1 was employed. The capture efficiency of capture sequence probe F15R labeled with one, two, or three biotins, measured by signal to noise ratio (S/N), were tested. The signal sequence probe employed was H19. As shown in Table 9, two biotins per capture sequence probe were sufficient for optimal capture efficiency. Greater than a 50% increase in S/N was observed using capture sequence probe with two biotin labels compared to the single biotin labeled capture sequence probe. The addition of a third biotin label to the capture sequence probe resulted in a decrease in S/N relative to the two-biotin labeled capture sequence probe.

TABLE 9 EFFECT OF THE EXTENT OF BIOTIN LABELING ON CAPTURE EFFICIENCY # Biotins HSV-1/well RLU CV S/N One 0 54 3% 1.0 One 4.5 × 10{circumflex over ( )}3 236 2% 4.4 One 4.5 × 10{circumflex over ( )}4 1861 3% 34.5 One 4.5 × 10{circumflex over ( )}5 15633 7% 289.5 Two 0 46 3% 1.0 Two 4.5 × 10{circumflex over ( )}3 296 10% 6.4 Two 4.5 × 10{circumflex over ( )}4 2558 1% 55.6 Two 4.5 × 10{circumflex over ( )}5 23369 4% 508.0 Three 0 44 22% 1.0 Three 4.5 × 10{circumflex over ( )}3 243 6% 5.5 Three 4.5 × 10{circumflex over ( )}4 1820 2% 51.4 Three 4.5 × 10{circumflex over ( )}5 18581 8% 422.3

EXAMPLE 4 EFFECT OF THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE CSP AND THE SSP TARGET SITES ON CAPTURE EFFICIENCY

The effect of the distance between capture sequence probe (CSP) and signal sequence probe (SSP) hybridization sites on a HSV-1 target nucleic acid on capture efficiency was evaluated. CSPs that hybridize to HSV-1 nucleic acid sequences which are located 0.2 kb, 3 kb, 18 kb, 36 kb and 46 kb from the site of SSP hybridization were tested. The general TSHC method described in Example 1 was employed. The capture efficiencies were 100%, 50%, 30%, 19% and 7%, respectively (Table 10). A steady decline in relative capture efficiencies was observed as the distance increased from 0.2 Kb to 46 Kb.

TABLE 10 EFFECT OF DISTANCE BETWEEN TARGET SITES ON CAPTURE EFFICIENCY Distance Between Target Relative Capture CSP SSP Site Efficiency BRH19 H19 0.2 Kb  100% F15R H19  3 Kb 50% F6R RH5B 18 Kb 30% F15R RH5B 36 Kb 19% F6R H19 46 Kb 7%

EXAMPLE 5 EFFECT OF FUSED CAPTURE SEQUENCE PROBE ON TSHC DETECTION OF HSV-1

The binding capacity of streptavidin plates was determined to be approximately 2 pmoles of doubly-biotinylated CSPs per well. Since the CSPs are doubly biotin-labeled, a maximum of 8 CSPs (2 CSPs per SSP) is preferred in order not to exceed the binding capacity of the wells. Any increase in biotin-labeled capture sequence probe above the stated capacity resulted in a decrease in signal, the so-called “hook effect.” In order to avoid this “hook effect” and still permit the use of greater than four SSP-CSP combinations, the effect of synthesizing oligonucleotides that contained the sequences of two CSPs fused together (5′ and 3′ sites) was tested. The fused capture sequence probes may function independently to drive hybridization to the unique target sites. In another embodiment, the fused probes may bind to two target sites with the second hybridization favored, since it is essentially a uni-molecular reaction with zero order kinetics once the probe has hybridized to the first site. The hybridization may be determined by one or both mechanisms. Previous experiments showed that two CSPs, VH3, and NC-1, when used together, gave approximately twice the S/N as the individual CSPs. Unfused capture sequence probes VH-3 and NC-1 were used at 2.5 pmoles/ml each for a total concentration of 5 pmoles/ml, fused probe VH-4 (fusion of VH-3 and NC-1) was used at 2.5 pmole/ml. As shown in Table 11, the fused probe was as effective as the combination of the two unfused probes. Therefore, TSHC detection using fused capture sequence probes permits the number of nucleic acid sequences targeted by the signal sequence probe to be at least doubled without exceeding the plate biotin-binding capacity. The experiment also demonstrates the lack of cross-reactivity of HSV-2 at 10⁷ genomes as shown by the S/N less than 2.0.

TABLE 11 COMPARISON OF FUSED VERSUS UNFUSED CAPTURE SEQUENCE PROBES IN TSHC DETECTION OF HSV-1 SSP CSP Viral Particles/ml RLU CV S/N RH5B VH-3, NC-1 0 94 14% 1.0 RH5B VH-3, NC-1 10{circumflex over ( )}4 HSV-1 164 5% 1.7 RH5B VH-3, NC-1 10{circumflex over ( )}5 HSV-1 1003 4% 10.7 RH5B VH-3, NC-1 10{circumflex over ( )}7 HSV-2 125 6% 1.3 RH5B VH-4 (fused) 0 97 10% 1.0 RH5B VH-4 (fused) 10{circumflex over ( )}4 HSV-1 181 3% 1.9 RH5B VH-4 (fused) 10{circumflex over ( )}5 HSV-1 1070 2% 11.0 RH5B VH-4 (fused) 10{circumflex over ( )}7 HSV-2 140 5% 1.4

EXAMPLE 6 CAPTURE EFFICIENCY OF VARIOUS CSPs AND SSPs IN TSHC DETECTION OF HSV-1

The capture efficiency of capture sequence probes (CSPs) for each of the four HSV-1 specific signal sequence probes (SSPs), H19, RH5B, RH3 and R10, in the detection of HSV-1 by TSHC was evaluated. The criteria used for designing the capture sequence probes were: 1) the CSP hybridization site is within 1 kb either 5′ or 3′ of the SSP hybridization site on the HSV-1 nucleic acid sequence, preferably within 0.5 kb; and 2) the CSPs contain sequences that are unique to HSV-1, with no stretches of sequence homology to HSV-2 greater than 10 bases. The CSPs were designed to target the 5′ and 3′ regions adjacent to the SSP hybridization site, preferably with a 5′ CSP and a 3′ CSP for each SSP. The Omiga software (Oxford Molecular Group, Campbell, Calif.) was instrumental in the identification of such sites. The melting temperature (Tm) of the CSPs was designed to be between 70° C. to 85° C., to conform to the 70° C. to 75° C. hybridization temperature used in Hybrid Capture II (HCII) assay for HSV (Digene). The general TSHC method described in Example 1 was employed. Eleven CSPs (which bind to 6 different sites) for H19, six CSPs (which bind to three unique sites) for RH5B, six CSPs (which bind to six unique sites) for RH3, and two CSPs for R10 were tested. As shown in Table 12, efficient capture sequence probes were found for signal sequence probes H19, RH5B and R10.

TABLE 12 CSPs AND SSPs FOR TSHC DETECTION OF HSV-1 Cap SSP CSP % SSP CSP Cap % SSP CSP Cap % R10 ON-3 100% RH5B TS-1 50% H19 HZ-1 50% R10 ON-3 80% RH5B NC-1 75% H19 HZ-2 20% RH5B VH-4 130% H19 ZD-1 40% RH5B TS-2 25% H19 ZD-2 20% RH5B VH-3 50% H19 BRH19 70% H19 VH-2 70% H19 F15R 25%

EXAMPLE 7 CAPTURE EFFICIENCY OF VARIOUS CSPs AND SSPs IN TSHC DETECTION OF HSV-2

The capture efficiency of capture sequence probes (CSPs) for each of the four HSV-2 specific signal sequence probes (SSPs), E4A, E4B, Ei8, and i8, in the detection of HSV-2 by TSHC were evaluated. HSV-2 specific capture sequence probes (CSPs) were designed based on the same criteria as the HSV-1 CSPs except for the requirement that they be HSV-2 specific. Four CSPs for E4A, three CSPs for E4B, and two CSPs each for Ei8 and i8 were tested. The general TSHC method described in Example 1 was employed. As shown in Table 13, efficient capture sequence probes were found for i8 and Ei8.

TABLE 13 CSPs AND SSPs FOR TSHC DETECTION OF HSV-2 SSP CSP Cap % SSP CSP Cap % i8 NF-1 100% Ei8 NF-2 50% Ei8 LE-3 45%

EXAMPLE 8 EFFECT OF BLOCKER PROBES ON HSV-1 AND HSV-2 DETECTION

In an attempt to reduce cross-reactivity of TSHC while allowing the capture step to take place at room temperature, methods using blocker probes were developed. Blocker probes comprise sequences that are complementary to the capture sequence probes (CSPs) used for detection. These experiments were designed to prevent non-specific hybridization of the CSPs to non-targeted nucleic acids present in the sample under the lower stringency conditions, a situation often encountered during the room temperature capture step.

In one method, blocker probes that are complementary to the full length or nearly the full length of the capture sequences probe were used. The blocker probes were added to the reaction mixture in 10-fold excess relative to the CSP after hybridization of the CSP and the SSP to the target DNA molecule has occurred. Since the blocker probes have similar melting temperature as the CSPs, the CSPs were hybridized to the target nucleic acids first to prevent hybridization of the blocker probes to the CSPs before the hybridization of the CSPs to the target nucleic acids occurred. As shown in Table 14, the addition of the blocker probes resulted in a dramatic reduction in cross-reactivity while these probes had no effect on the sensitivity of HSV-1 detection. The S/N for the detection of cross-reactive HSV-2 (10⁷ viral particles/ml) decreased from 5.0 to 0.8 when the blocker probes were used.

In another method, blocker probes that are complementary to only a portion of the CSPs and are shorter than the CSPs were used. The blocker probes were designed to have melting temperatures above room temperature but at least 10° C. below the hybridization temperature of CSPs to the target nucleic acids. Since these blocker probes hybridize to the CSPs at temperature below the CSP hybridization temperature to the target nucleic acids, the blocker probes may be added to the reaction at the same time as the CSP and SSP without effecting the hybridization efficiency of the CSPs to the target nucleic acid. These shorter blocker probes function during the room temperature capture step by hybridizing to the CSPs at the lower temperatures that are encountered during the room temperature capture step. As shown in Table 15, the addition of either single or paired shorter blocker probes in 100-fold excess relative to the CSPs resulted in a dramatic reduction in cross-reactivity but had no effect on sensitivity of HSV-1 detection. The SIN for detecting cross-reactive HSV-2 (10⁷ viral particles/ml) without the blocker probes was 10.6, but was reduced to less than or equal to 1.5 with the addition of the blocker probes.

Therefore, both methods utilizing blocker probes provide a substantial reduction in cross-reactivity. The second method utilizing blocker probes with lower melting temperature may be preferred because the addition of blocker probes at the same time as the capture sequence probe eliminates the need for an extra step for the detection method.

TABLE 14 EFFECT OF BLOCKER PROBES ADDED POST CAPTURE PROBE HYBRIDIZATION ON TSHC SSP CSP 100x Blocker Probe Viral Particles/ml RLU CV S/N H19 HZ-1 None 0 66 7% 1.0 H19 HZ-1 None 10{circumflex over ( )}5 HSV-1 246 5% 3.7 H19 HZ-1 None 10{circumflex over ( )}6 HSV-1 1998 2% 30.3 H19 HZ-1 None 10{circumflex over ( )}7 HSV-2 327 2% 5.0 H19 HZ-1 ZD-3 0 60 3% 1.0 H19 HZ-1 ZD-3 10{circumflex over ( )}5 HSV-1 267 4% 4.5 H19 HZ-1 ZD-3 10{circumflex over ( )}6 HSV-1 2316 6% 38.6 H19 HZ-1 ZD-3 10{circumflex over ( )}7 HSV-2 49 2% 0.8

TABLE 15 EFFECT OF BLOCKER PROBES ADDED SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH THE CAPTURE PROBES UPON TSHC DETECTION OF HSV-1 10x Blocker SSP CSP Probe Viral Particle/ml RLU CV S/N H19 HZ-1 none 0 38 15% 1.0 H19 HZ-1 none 10{circumflex over ( )}4 HSV-1 71 2% 1.9 H19 HZ-1 none 10{circumflex over ( )}5 HSV-1 389 12% 10.2 H19 HZ-1 none 10{circumflex over ( )}7 HSV-2 401 18% 10.6 H19 HZ-1 NG-4 0 39 8% 1.0 H19 HZ-1 NG-4 10{circumflex over ( )}4 HSV-1 82 5% 2.1 H19 HZ-1 NG-4 10{circumflex over ( )}5 HSV-1 411 18% 10.5 H19 HZ-1 NG-4 10{circumflex over ( )}7 HSV-2 57 15% 1.5 H19 HZ-1 EA-1, EA-2 0 37 0% 1.0 H19 HZ-1 EA-1, EA-2 10{circumflex over ( )}4 HSV-1 75 8% 2.0 H19 HZ-1 EA-1, EA-2 10{circumflex over ( )}5 HSV-1 419 8% 11.3 H19 HZ-1 EA-1, EA-2 10{circumflex over ( )}7 HSV-2 49 5% 1.3 H19 HZ-1 NG-7, NG-8 0 42 10% 1.0 H19 HZ-1 NG-7, NG-8 10{circumflex over ( )}4 HSV-1 76 3% 1.8 H19 HZ-1 NG-7, NG-8 10{circumflex over ( )}5 HSV-1 471 5% 11.2 H19 HZ-1 NG-7, NG-8 10{circumflex over ( )}7 HSV-2 47 9% 1.1

EXAMPLE 9 TSHC DETECTION REDUCES VECTOR BACKGROUND

The TSHC assay eliminates the vector contamination problem often associated with the Hybrid Capture II (HC II) detection assay (Digene). As the RNA signal sequence probes used in HC II are generated from linearized vector templates, any remaining unlinearized plasmid DNA results in the production of additional RNA probe sequences specific for vector sequences. In the HC II assay, the RNA/DNA hybrids that form as a result of these read-through transcripts are captured on the antibody coated plates and generate signal. In contrast, in the TSHC method, only those RNA/DNA hybrids that also hybridize to the capture sequence probes are detected. Accordingly, any detection of vector-related sequences is eliminated. Plasmids SK+, pBR322, DgZ, and 1066 which were known to be detectable in HSV HC II test (Digene) were tested in the TSHC assay using two RNA signal sequence probes (H19 and RH5b) and two capture sequence probes (VH-2 and VH-4). Identical sets of RNA probes were then used in the HC II method and the TSHC method for the detection of HSV-1. The general TSHC method described in Example 1 was employed. As shown in Table 16, while signal to noise ratio in standard HC II ranged from 14 to 48, the signal to noise ratio for the TSHC method was less than 2 for all plasmids tested.

TABLE 16 VECTOR BACKGROUND IN TSHC V. HCII DETECTION Method SSP CSP Targets/ml RLU CV S/N TSHC H19 + RH5B VH-2 + 0 94 6% 1.0 VH-4 TSHC H19 + RH5B VH-2 + 4 ng pBS SK+ 137 7% 1.5 VH-4 TSHC H19 + RH5B VH-2 + 2 ng pBR322 99 6% 1.1 VH-4 TSHC H19 + RH5B VH-2 + 4 ng DgX 135 7% 1.4 VH-4 TSHC H19 + RH5B VH-2 + 4 ng 1066 107 7% 1.1 VH-4 HC II H19 + RH5B None 0 94 9% 1.0 HC II H19 + RH5B None 4 ng pBS SK+ 4498 3% 48.1 HC II H19 + RH5B None 2 ng pBR322 1281 8% 13.7 HC II H19 + RH5B None 4 ng DgX 2003 5% 21.4 HC II H19 + RH5B None 4 ng 1066 1536 2% 16.4

EXAMPLE 10 SENSITIVITY AND SPECIFICITY OF DETECTING HSV-1 AND HSV-2 BY TSHC

The sensitivity and typing discrimination for the TSHC detection of HSV-1 and HSV-2 were assessed using the TSHC described in Example 1. In the HSV-1 TSHC assay, signal sequence probes H19 and RH5B, capture sequence probes HZ-1, VH-2 and VH-4, and blocker probes NG-7, NG-8, GP-3, GP-4, and GP-1 were used. In the HSV-2 TSHC assay, signal sequence probes i8 and Ei8, capture sequence probes NF-1 and NF-2, and blocker probes HX4, HX-5 and GP-8 were used. HSV-1 and HSV-2 viral particles were diluted to various concentrations using the Negative Control Solution. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, while 10⁴ copies of the either HSV-1 or HSV-2 (450 copies/well) were detected in the respective assays, there was virtually no detection of the cross-reactive type HSV at concentrations up to and including 10⁸ copies/ml (4,500,000 copies/well). Thus, the HSV-1 and HSV-2 TSHC assays can distinguish the two HSV types at a greater than 10,000-fold range of discrimination while maintaining excellent sensitivity (450 VP/well).

The HSV-1 TSHC assay shows a linear range of detection ranging from at least 2×10³ to 5×10³ VP/ml (Table 17). The specificity of the assay is excellent as no cross-reactivity was detected (S/N is less than or equal to 2) in samples containing HSV-2 at a concentration as high as 2×10⁷ to 5×10⁷ viral particles/ml. Similarly, the HSV-2 TSHC assay also shows excellent specificity, wherein no cross-reactivity was detected in samples containing HSV-1 at a concentration as high as 5×10⁷ viral particles/ml (Table 18). Similar results were obtained from TSHC detection of HSV-2 using a dilution series of HSV-2 and HSV-1 viruses (Table 19).

TABLE 17 ANALYTICAL SENSITIVITY AND SPECIFICITY OF THE HSV1 TSHC ASSAY Targets RLU S/N Negative Control 47 1.0 HSV2 @ 5 × 10{circumflex over ( )}7 VP/ml 57 1.2 HSV2 @ 2 × 10{circumflex over ( )}7 VP/ml 43 0.9 HSV1 @ 5 × 10{circumflex over ( )}3 VP/ml 201 4.3 HSV1 @ 2 × 10{circumflex over ( )}3 VP/ml 107 2.3

TABLE 18 ANALYTICAL SENSITIVITY AND SPECIFICITY OF THE HSV2 TSHC ASSAY Targets RLU S/N Negative Control 40 1.0 HSV1 @ 5 × 10{circumflex over ( )}7 VP/ml 78 2.0 HSV1 @ 2 × 10{circumflex over ( )}7 VP/ml 55 1.4 HSV2 @ 5 × 10{circumflex over ( )}3 VP/ml 218 5.5 HSV2 @ 2 × 10{circumflex over ( )}3 VP/ml 106 2.7

TABLE 19 DETECTION WITH HSV-2 PROBES USING HSV-1 AND HSV-2 OF DIFFERENT DILUTION Targets RLU S/N Negative Control 43 1.0 HSV1 @ 5 × 10{circumflex over ( )}7 VP/ml 112 2.6 HSV1 @ 2 × 10{circumflex over ( )}7 VP/ml 57 1.3 HSV1 @ 1 × 10{circumflex over ( )}7 VP/ml 38 0.9 HSV1 @ 1 × 10{circumflex over ( )}6 VP/ml 38 0.9 HSV1 @ 1 × 10{circumflex over ( )}5 VP/ml 33 0.8 HSV1 @ 1 × 10{circumflex over ( )}4 VP/ml 52 1.2 HSV1 @ 1 × 10{circumflex over ( )}3 VP/ml 43 1.0 HSV1 @ 1 × 10{circumflex over ( )}2 VP/ml 39 0.9 HSV2 @ 1 × 10{circumflex over ( )}7 VP/ml 257173 5980.8 HSV2 @ 1 × 10{circumflex over ( )}6 VP/ml 28544 663.8 HSV2 @ 1 × 10{circumflex over ( )}5 VP/ml 3200 74.4 HSV2 @ 1 × 10{circumflex over ( )}4 VP/ml 266 6.2 HSV2 @ 5 × 10{circumflex over ( )}3 VP/ml 181 4.2 HSV2 @ 1 × 10{circumflex over ( )}3 VP/ml 62 1.4 HSV2 @ 1 × 10{circumflex over ( )}2 VP/ml 44 1.0

EXAMPLE 11 CLINICAL SPECIMEN TESTING

A 64-member clinical specimen panel was tested for HSV-1 and HSV-2 using both TSHC and HCII methods. The panel included 15 samples containing known quantities of HSV-1 or HSV-2, and 49 samples known to be negative for HSV-1 and HSV-2 by PCR testing. Accordingly, the 15 positive samples were “Expected” to test positive in both the HCII and TSHC assays, and the 49 negative samples were “Expected” to test negative in both the HCII and TSHC tests. The general TSHC method described in Example 1 was employed. The results using the HCII method and the TSHC method are shown in Tables 20 and 21, respectively. Of the 49 samples “Expected” to yield negative result, 5 samples tested positive and 44 samples tested positive using the HCII method. In comparison, all 49 samples tested negative using the TSHC method. Therefore, the TSHC method is superior in specificity to the HCII method in the detection of HSV-1 and HSV-2.

TABLE 20 OBSERVED VERSUS EXPECTED RESULTS FOR HCII DETECTION OF HSV1 AND HSV2 Expected Result HCII Result Positive Negative Positive 15 5 Negative 0 44 Total 15 49

TABLE 21 OBSERVED VS. EXPECTED RESULTS FOR TSHC DETECTION OF HSV1 AND HSV2 Expected Result TSHC Result Positive Negative Positive 14 0 Negative 1 49 Total 15 49

EXAMPLE 12 EFFECT OF COMBINING PROBES IN TSHC DETECTION OF HSV

The effect of combining HSV-1 specific signal sequence probe and capture sequence probe sets on HSV-1 detection was assessed. TSHC detection of HSV-1 and HSV-2 cross-reactivity was performed separately with two different sets of RNA signal sequence probe lbiotinylated capture sequence probe combinations (Set #1: H19 plus HZ-1; and Set #2: RH5b plus the TS-1 and TS-2). TSHC was also performed with both RNA signal sequence probe/biotinylated capture sequence probe sets combined to assess the effect of combining the two probe sets on sensitivity and cross-reactivity. The general TSHC method described in Example 1 was employed. The results shown in Table 22 clearly demonstrate an additive effect of combining the two probe sets for HSV-1 detection with no apparent increase in HSV-2 cross-reactivity.

TABLE 22 SENSITIVITY IS IMPROVED BY COMBINING HSV-1 SPECIFIC CSPs AND SSPs Capture Sequence Signal Sequence Probes Probes VP/ml RLU CV S/N HZ-1 H19 0 60 3% 1.0 HZ-1 H19 10{circumflex over ( )}5 HSV-1 267 4% 4.5 HZ-1 H19 10{circumflex over ( )}6 HSV-1 2316 6% 38.9 HZ-1 H19 10{circumflex over ( )}7 HSV2 49 2% 0.8 TS-1, TS-2 RH5B 0 78 6% 1.0 TS-1, TS-2 RH5B 10{circumflex over ( )}5 HSV-1 291 6% 3.8 TS-1, TS-2 RH5B 10{circumflex over ( )}6 HSV-1 2368 11% 30.6 TS-1, TS-2 RH5B 10{circumflex over ( )}7 HSV2 75 11% 1.0 HZ-1, TS-1, TS-2 H19, RH5B 0 70 12% 1.0 HZ-1, TS-1, TS-2 H19, RH5B 10{circumflex over ( )}5 HSV-1 457 10% 6.5 HZ-1, TS-1, TS-2 H19, RH5B 10{circumflex over ( )}6 HSV-1 4263 1% 60.9 HZ-1, TS-1, TS-2 H19, RH5B 10{circumflex over ( )}7 HSV2 67 6% 1.0

EXAMPLE 13 TSHC DETECTION OF HPV18 AND HPV45

The relative sensitivity and specificity of TSHC and HCII detection of Human Papillomavirus 18 (HPV18) and Human Papillomavirus 45 (HPV45) was compared. Previous studies have established HPV45 as the most cross-reactive HPV type to HPV18, and conversely, HPV18 as the most cross-reactive HPV type to HPV45. In this study, the ability of the two methods to detect HPV18 and HPV45 was assessed using HPV18 and HPV45 plasmid DNA.

Capture sequence probes (CSPs) for each of the four Human Papillomavirus types: HPV16, HPV18, HPV31, and HPV45, were designed. The criteria used for designing the capture sequence probes were: 1) the CSP hybridization sites do not overlap with the SSP sites; 2) the CSPs contain sequences unique to one HPV type with no stretches of sequence homology to other HPV types greater than 12 bases; and 3) the CSPs are of sufficient length so as to be capable of hybridizing efficiently at 70° C.

The blocker probes for each CSP were designed such that they could be added simultaneously with the CSP during hybridization to the target nucleic acid. The blocker probes have a melting temperature of at least 37° C. but no higher than 60° C., as calculated by the Oligo 5.0 program (National Biosciences, Inc., Plymouth, Minn.). Two blocker probes were used for each capture oligonucleotide to maximize the blocker effect during the room temperature plate capture step. It was also desired that the blocker probes for each CSP have similar melting temperatures.

CSPs for each of the HPV types were tested for relative capture efficiency and cross-reactivity to other HPV types. CSPs that provided the best combination of sensitivity and low cross-reactivity were used for the detection of HPV using TSHC.

In TSHC and HCII detection of HPV18, HPV18 DNA was used at a concentration of 10 pg/ml. HPV45, used for cross-reactivity testing, was used at 4 ng/ml. The general TSHC method described in Example 1 was employed. As shown in Table 23, a signal to noise ratio of 16.9 was obtained for TSHC detection of HPV18 compared to a ratio of 7.6 obtained for HCII detection of HPV18. On the other hand, cross-reactivity with HPV45 was significantly reduced using the TSHC method (S/N of 1.3 for TSHC compared to S/N of 393.3 for HCII). The results clearly show that compared to the HCII method, the TSHC method for the detection of HPV18 was superior in both sensitivity and specificity. Results obtained in experiments comparing TSHC and HCII detection of HPV45 demonstrate that the TSHC method for the detection of HPV45 is superior in both sensitivity and specificity (Table 24).

TABLE 23 TSHC DETECTION OF HPV 18 Method Target SSP CSP S/N TSHC 0 18L1 18-7L 1.0 HPV18 (10 pg/ml) 18L1 18-7L 16.9 HPV45 (4 ng/ml) 18L1 18-7L 1.3 HC II 0 18L1 none 1.0 HPV18 (10 pg/ml) 18L1 none 7.6 HPV45 (4 ng/ml) 18L1 none 393.3

TABLE 24 TSHC DETECTION OF HPV 45 Method Target SSP CSP S/N TSHC 0 45L1 ON-1 1.0 HPV45 (10 pg/ml) 45L1 ON-1 8.4 HPV18 (4 ng/ml) 45L1 ON-1 1.6 HC II 0 45L1 none 1.0 HPV45 (10 pg/ml) 45L1 none 8.2 HPV18 (4 ng/ml) 45L1 none 494.0

EXAMPLE 14 TARGET-SPECIFIC HYBRID CAPTURE-PLUS ASSAY PROTOCOL

Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) was used as the model system for the development of the target-specific hybrid capture-plus (TSHC-plus) assay for the detection of target nucleic acids.

The hybridization in the TSHC-plus method (FIG. 6A-6D) may be performed in a single step. In the one-step method, CSPs, SSPs containing pre-hybridized DNA/RNA duplex, bridge probes (FIGS. 6B-6D), and blocker probes are added simultaneously to the target nucleic acids. If hybridization is performed in two steps, CSPs, SSPs without pre-hybridized DNA/RNA duplex, bridge probes and blocker probes are first hybridized to the target nucleic acid. Oligonucleotide probes complementary to the single stranded nucleic acid sequence in the SSP are then added to the reaction to form the DNA/RNA duplexes. The hybrids are then detected using anti-RNA/DNA antibody as described in Example 1.

Experiments were carried out to detect HBV using TSHC-plus (Examples 15-18). The method shown in FIG. 6A was used. Human hepatitis B virus (HBV adw2) plasmid DNA of known concentration (Digene Corp) was diluted using HBV negative Sample Diluent (Digene). Various dilutions were made and aliquoted into individual tubes. The negative Sample Diluent was used as a negative control. A half volume of the Denaturation Reagent 5100-0431 (Digene) was added to the test samples. Test samples were incubated at 65° C. for 45 minutes to denature the nucleic acids in the samples.

Following denaturation of the HBV sample, a hybridization solution containing capture sequence probes (CSPs), blocker probes, signal sequence probe comprising a M13 DNA/M13 RNA duplex, and a bridge probe of a single-stranded or partially single stranded DNA sequence capable of hybridizing to both an SSP and HBV sequences was added to the samples, and incubated at 65° C. for 1-2 hours. Alternatively, the denatured samples were incubated for 1 hour with a hybridization solution containing capture sequence probes (CSPs), blocker probes and M13 DNA plasmid containing HBV complementary sequences for 1 hour. Following the incubation, M13 RNA was added to the reaction and the incubation was continued for an additional hour at 65° C.

Tubes containing reaction mixtures were cooled at room temperature for 5 minutes and aliquots were taken from each tube and transferred to individual wells of a 96-well streptavidin plate (Digene). The plates were shaken at 1100 rpms for 1 hour at room temperature. The solution was then decanted and the plates were washed four times with SNM wash buffer (Digene). The alkaline-phosphatase anti-RNA/DNA antibody DR-I (Digene) was added to each well and incubated for 30 minutes at room temperature. The DR-1 (Digene) was then decanted and the plates were washed four times with SNM wash buffer (Digene). Following removal of the residual wash buffer, luminescent substrate (CDP-Star, Tropix Inc.) was added to each well and incubated for 15 minutes at room temperature. Individual wells were read on a plate lurniometer to obtain relative light unit (RLU) signals.

EXAMPLE 15

The following tables describe the various probes tested in the experiments described in Examples 16-18.

TABLE 25 CAPTURE SEQUENCE PROBES FOR HBV Size Location Probe Sequence (bp) within HBV Strand HBV C1 GCTGGATGTGTCTGCGGC- 28 374-401 Sense GTTTTATCAT (SEQ ID NO: 152) HBV C2 ACTGTTCAAGCCTCCAAG- 27 1861-1877 Sense CTGCGCCTT (SEQ ID NO: 153) HBV C3 ATGATAAAACGCCGCAGA- 32 370-401 Anti- CACATCCAGCGATA sense (SEQ ID NO: 154)

TABLE 26 HBV/M13 CLONES FROM WHICH SSPs ARE PREPARED Insert Size Location Clone name Vector Cloning site (bp) within HBV SA1 M13 mp 18 Eco RI, Hind III 35 194-228 SA2 M13 mp 18 Eco RI, Hind III 34 249-282 SA1a M13 mp 19 Eco RI, Hind III 35 194-228 SA2a M13 mp 19 Eco RI, Hind III 34 249-282 SA4 M13 mp 19 Eco RI, Hind III 87 1521-1607

TABLE 27 HBV BLOCKER PROBES Size CSP to which Probe Sequence (bp) it hybridizes B1 ATGATAAAACGCCG 14 HBV C1 (SEQ ID NO: 155) B2 CAGACACATCCAGC 14 HBV C1 (SEQ ID NO: 156) B3 AAGGCACAGCTTG 13 HBV C2 (SEQ ID NO: 157) B4 GAGGCTTGAACAGT 14 HBV C2 (SEQ ID NO: 158) B5 TATCGCTGGATGTGTC 16 HBV C3 (SEQ ID NO: 159) B6 TCGGCGTTTTATCATG 16 HBV C3 (SEQ ID NO: 160)

EXAMPLE 16 EFFECT OF BLOCKER PROBES ON TSHC-PLUS DETECON OF HBV

During room temperature capture step, excess SSP (M13 RNA/HBV-M13 DNA duplex) non-specifically hybridizing to the CSP are immobilized onto the plate which results in high background signals. In an attempt to reduce background signal, blocker probes were employed in TSHC-Plus detection of HBV. The blocker probes were designed to be much shorter than the CSPs so that they are only capable of hybridizing to the capture probes at temperatures well below the hybridization temperatures used in the assay.

Blocker probe sets consisting of two separate oligonucleotides that are complementary to the CSPs were used. The blocker probes were added to the hybridization mixture in 10-fold excess relative to the CSPs. Since the blocker probes are much shorter than the CSPs, they do not hybridize with CSPs at the target hybridization temperature and therefore do not interfere with the hybridization of the CSPs to the target nucleic acids. Following the hybridization of CSP and target nucleic acids, the samples were subjected to a room temperature capture step during which the blocker probes hybridize with excess CSPs, thus preventing them from hybridizing to the SSPs. As shown in Table 28, the use of the blocker probes in the hybridization reaction greatly reduced the background signals of the assay.

TABLE 28 EFFECT OF BLOCKER PROBES ON HBV DETECTION Capture Probe Blocker probe Background Signal (RLU) HBV C1 no 17892 HBV C1 B1, B2 424 HBV C2 no 9244 HBV C2 B3, B4 398

EXAMPLE 17 EFFECT OF THE LENGTH OF SSP ON TSHC-PLUS DETECTION OF HBV

The effect of the length of the DNA sequence inserted into the M13 vector for generating the SSP on TSCH-Plus detection of HBV was studied. A positive control containing 20 pg/ml of HBV plasmid DNA was used. As shown in Table 29, the use of a longer HBV complementary sequence in the SSP (87 base pairs) resulted in a substantial increase in signal of detection. The effect is unlikely due to sub-optimal hybridization temperature condition since the Tm of the shorter probes is 15 degree above the hybridization temperature. As the M13 RNA/DNA duplex formed in the SSP may act to partially block the complementary DNA sequence in the probe from hybridizing to the HBV sequences in the target nucleic acids, longer complementary sequences in the SSP may overcome this block.

TABLE 29 EFFECT OF THE LENGTH OF THE COMPLEMENTARY SEQUENCE IN THE SSP ON TSHC-PLUS DETECTION OF HBV Size of the HBV Target Tm of the HBV DNA Sequence Target DNA Hybridization Signal SSP in SSP (bp) Sequence in SSP temperature (RLU) SA1 35 83° C. 65° C. 1741 SA2 34 80° C. 65° C. 1857 SA4 87 108° C.  65° C. 7978

EXAMPLE 18 TSHC-PLUS AND HC II DETECTION OF HBV

The relative sensitivity of TSHC-Plus and HC II (Hybrid Capture II, Digene) detection of HBV was compared. HBV positive standards of three different concentrations were tested in the experiments. As shown in Table 30, the signals obtained using the TSHC-Plus detection method were approximately two-fold higher than those obtained using the HC II detection method.

TABLE 30 TSHC-PLUS AND HC II DETECTION OF HBV* Target HBV Concentration Method Control 10 pg/ml 20 pg/ml 100 pg/ml HC II 48 2355 4225 21438 TSHC Plus 285 4856 7978 37689 *Signal measured as relative light unit (RLU)

EXAMPLE 19 SAMPLE PREPARATION FOR TARGET SPECIFIC HYBRID CAPTURE DETECTION OF SNPs

An embodiment of the TSHC method for detecting SNPs provides the Hybrid Capture-SNP (HC-SNP) method that is demonstrated herein using p53 DNA as the target molecule and discriminating polymorphisms or SNPs at codon 72 of the p53 coding region (Kawajiri, et al. Carcinogenesis. 14:1085-1089, 1993). The two p53 polymorphisms on the anti-sense strand at codon 72, are gCg, which encodes Arginine (Arg), and the p53 codon 72, on the anti-sense strand, gGg, that encodes Proline (Pro). The two polymorphisms are referred to as pS3Arg and p53Pro. This is a SNP where the HC-SNP method is used for specific detection of the nucleotide. It is understood that the HC-SNP method is not limited to these specific types of probes, probe labels, and targets, but can also encompass the full scope of variations described for the TSHC method.

Samples comprising either PCR amplicons or genomic DNA were used as a target for polymorphism detection in the HC-SNP embodiment. Using genomic DNA may be particularly beneficial for diagnostic applications. For the preparation of PCR amplicons, two primers were used, for example, the Upper Primer-5′-AAGACCCAGGTCCAGATGAAG-3′ (SEQ ID NO: 161) and the Lower Primer-5′-AGAATGCAAGAAGCCCAGAC-3′ (SEQ ID NO:162) (described by Klaes et al., J. Mol. Med. 77:299-302, 1999). These primers were specifically chosen for amplification of a p53 exon 4 region (182 base pairs), utilizing a program comprising: a) 95° C. for 4 minutes; b) 94° C. for 40 seconds; c) 62° C. for 40 seconds; d) 72° C. for 40 seconds; e) 72° C. for 6 minutes; and f) 4° C. for storage or prior to use, wherein steps b-d are repeated for 25 to 45 cycles depending on the quality of DNA template. PCR amplicons were then diluted to 1:1000 or 1:100 in TE (10 mM Tris; 1 mM EDTA) , pH7.4, prior to testing. Non-limiting examples of genomic DNA samples for the preparation of genomic DNA include, but are not limited to, human fluids, cells, tissues, and archival tissues in paraffin blocks. Genomic DNA isolation was performed using the appropriate kits (Qiagen). Approximately, 10-20 μg of isolated genomic DNA per test pair was required for direct polymorphism detecting bypassing the target amplification step.

Each DNA target was tested with p53-Arg specific and p53-Pro specific capture oligos separately. Signal to noise (S/N) ratios were calculated, and the ratio of p53-Arg specific S/N over p53-Pro specific S/N were used to identify the sample genotype. An example of the SNP test results for determining the homozygotes (Arg/Arg or Pro/Pro) versus heterozygotes (Arg/Pro) are shown in Table 31. The results of these tests were confirrmed by Wave analysis (Transgenomic; Santa Clara, Calif.) and DNA sequence analysis.

EXAMPLE 20 TARGET SPECIFIC HYBRID CAPTURE METHOD FOR DETECTING SNPs

Plasmid DNA (p53-Arg and p53-Pro) was prepared from bacterial cultures using Qiaprep Spin Miniprep Kit (Qiagen, Inc.; Valencia, Calif.). Genomic DNA (HeLa, SiHa, and Jurkat) was prepared from the cell lines using DNeasy Tissue Kit (Qiagen, Inc.). Plasmid DNA and clinical sample DNA were amplified using the PCR method previously described (45 cycles). Prior to use, PCR amplified DNA was diluted 1:1000 in TE, pH 7.4, and plasmid DNA samples were diluted to 100 pg/ml in TE, pH 7.4. Five microliters of diluted PCR amplified or plasmid DNA was used per test. Fifty microliters of extracted genomic DNA samples were used per test containing 5 μg, 7 μg, and 10 μg for HeLa, Jurkat, and SiHa, genomic DNA respectively. Each sample was tested twice independently for each assay. The first test was performed using the p53-Arg CSP and p53 SSP. The second test was performed using the p53-Pro CSP and p53 SSP.

A mixture of water and DNA target at a final volume of 50 μl per well, was added to the hybridization microplate. Denaturation Reagent 5100-0431 (Digene) (25 μl) was added per well. The plate was covered with a plate sealer and agitated for 10-30 seconds at 1100 rpm on a plate shaker. The reactions were denatured at 65° C. for 25 minutes in the microplate heater I (Robbins Dcientific Corp.; Sunnyvale, Calif.). During the denaturation step, the probe mixtures were prepared. The p53-Arg specific probe mixture consisted of 15 pmoles/ml of 16-base long Arg-specific CSP, 600 ng/mi of p53 SSP, and 4X Probe Diluent (Digene). The p53-Pro specific probe mixture consisted of 15 pmoles/ml of 16-base long Pro-specific CSP, 600 ng/ml of p53 SSP, and 4×Probe Diluent (Digene). Each probe mixture (25 μl each) was added to the denatured sample. The plate was covered with a plate sealer and agitated for 10-30 seconds at 1100 rpm using a plate shaker. The samples were allowed to hybridize at 65° C. for 1 hour in the microplate heater. Hybridized samples were incubated at room temperature for 5-10 minutes (to decrease the temperature of the plate). Hybridization reactions were transferred to a 96-well streptavidin (SA) plate (Digene), and covered with a plate sealer. The hybrids were captured onto the SA plate at 45° C. for 45 minutes with agitation at 900 rpm. Immobilization of CSP hybridized targets can be performed in hybridization solution placed into wells of a 96-well plate, for example, and the plate is shaken for 15 minutes to 2 hours at temperatures ranging from 20° C. to 90° C., preferably at room temperature for 1 hour shaling at 1100 rpms. Capture temperatures above room temperature may be preferred for added levels of stringency as hybridization (and “promiscuous hybridization”) does occur during the plate capture step. Supernatant was decanted and 100 μl per well of DR-1 (Digene) was added for detection of captured RNA/DNA hybrids. The plate was incubated at room temperature for 30 minutes without agitation. Supernatant was discarded and the plate was washed twice with room temperature Sharp Wash Buffer. The wells were then re-filled with Sharp Wash Buffer and the plate was incubated at 60° C. for 10 minutes. The plate was then washed twice with room temperature Sharp Wash Buffer, and once with room temperature Hybrid Capture 2 Wash Buffer. The plate was blotted from residual wash buffer (using kimtowels). A chemiluminescent phosphorylated substrate, DR-2 (100 μl/well) was added and reactions were incubated at room temperature for 15 minutes without agitation. The activated substrate was measured and analyzed using a plate luminometer (See Table 31).

TABLE 31 GENOTYPE DATA FROM HC-SNP S/N using S/N using P53 DNA Arg-specific Pro-specific Arg/Pro TARGET capture oligo capture oligo Ratio Genotype P53-Arg DNA, 98.9 4.5 21.91 Arg 100 pg/ml homozygous P53-Pro DNA, 10.2 68.0 0.15 Pro 100 pg/ml homozygous P53-Arg/Pro 56.4 54.1 1.04 Arg/Pro DNA, 100 pg/ml heterozygous P53-Arg PCR 1350.1 7.9 170.90 Arg homozygous P53-Pro PCR 88.0 1093.8 0.08 Pro homozygous P53-Arg/Pro 874.3 506.5 1.73 Arg/Pro PCR heterozygous HeLa DNA, 5 μg 10.8 7.0 1.54 Arg/Pro per well heterozygous SiHa DNA, 10 μg 3.8 15.5 0.25 Pro per well homozygous Jurkat DNA, 7 μg 23.2 1.6 14.5 Arg per well homozygous PCR Clinical 162.6 106.2 1.53 Arg/Pro Sample 1 heterozygous PCR Clinical 51.9 652.5 0.08 Pro Sample 2 homozygous PCR Clinical 345.3 2.3 150.13 Arg Sample 3 homozygous

The above description of various preferred embodiments has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or limiting to the precise forms disclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments discussed were chosen and described to provide illustrations and its practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such modifications and variations are within the system as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly, legally and equitably entitled. 

1. A method of detecting a target nucleic acid comprising: a) hybridizing a single-stranded or partially single-stranded target nucleic acid to a probe set consisting essentially of an immobilized capture sequence probe and an unlabeled signal sequence probe to form a double stranded hybrid between the target nucleic acid and the capture sequence probe and the signal sequence probe, together forming a hybrid complex, wherein the capture sequence probe and the signal sequence probe hybridize to non-overlapping regions within the target nucleic acid and not to each other, wherein the capture sequence probe comprises an attached ligand, wherein the immobilization of the capture sequence probe and the signal sequence probe occurs through binding of a ligand on the capture sequence probe; and b) adding a blocker probe to the hybridization reaction, wherein said blocker probe hybridizes to excess non-hybridized capture sequence probes; and c) detecting the bound hybrid complex.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the bound hybrid complex is detected by binding an antibody that recognizes the hybrid complex to said hybrid complex, wherein said antibody is detectably labeled.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal sequence probe is single-stranded.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the capture sequence probe is biotinylated.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the capture sequence probe is linear having a 5′ and a 3′ end, wherein both the 5′ and the 3′ ends are biotinylated.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the capture sequence probe and the signal sequence probe hybridize to regions of the target nucleic acid, wherein the regions are less than 3 kilobases apart.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the capture sequence probe and the signal sequence probe hybridize to regions of the target nucleic acid, wherein the regions are less than 500 bases apart.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of forming single-stranded target nucleic acid prior to the hybridization step.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein hybridizations of the capture sequence probe and the signal sequence probe to the target nucleic acid are performed sequentially.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the bound hybrid is formed at room temperature.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the solid phase is coated with streptavidin.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the solid phase is a microplate.
 13. The method of claim 2, wherein the antibody is labeled with alkaline-phosphatase.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the blocker probes are added to the hybridization reaction following the hybridization of the capture sequence probes to the target nucleic acid.
 15. The method of claim 1, wherein the blocker probe has a lower melting temperature than that of the capture sequence probe.
 16. A method of detecting a target nucleic acid comprising: a) hybridizing a single-stranded or partially single-stranded target nucleic acid to a probe set consisting essentially of capture sequence probe, a bridge probe and an unlabeled signal sequence probe to form a double-stranded hybrid complex, wherein the capture sequence probe and the bridge probe hybridizes to non-overlapping regions within the target nucleic acid and not to each other, and the signal sequence probe hybridizes to the bridge probe and not to the target nucleic acid and the capture sequence probe; wherein the capture sequence probe comprises an attached ligand; and b) adding a blocker probe to the hybridization reaction, wherein said blocker probe hybridizes to excess non-hybridized capture sequence probes; c) binding the double-stranded hybrid complex to a solid phase to form a bound double-stranded hybrid complex, wherein the binding to the solid phase occurs through binding of the ligand on the capture sequence probe in the complex to the solid phase; and d) detecting the bound hybrid complex.
 17. A method of detecting a target nucleic acid comprising: a) hybridizing a single-stranded or partially single-stranded target nucleic acid to a probe set consisting essentially of a capture sequence probe and an unlabeled signal sequence probe, wherein; (i) the capture sequence probe and the signal sequence probe hybridize to non-overlapping regions within the target nucleic acid and not to each other; (ii) the non-overlapping regions are less than 3 kilobases apart; (iii) the hybridization forms a DNA/RNA hybrid complex between the signal sequence probe and the target nucleic acid; (iv) the capture sequence probe is linear having a 5′ and a 3′ end; and (v) both the 5′ and the 3′ ends are biotinylated; b) adding a blocker probe to the hybridization step, wherein the blocker probe hybridizes to excess non-hybridized capture sequence probes; c) binding the hybrid complex to a solid phase to form a bound hybrid complex, wherein the binding to the solid phase occurs through binding of the ligand on the capture sequence probe in the complex to the solid phase; and d) detecting the DNA/RNA hybrid complex by binding an antibody that recognizes the DNA/RNA hybrid to said hybrid complex, wherein said antibody is detectably labeled. 